Bulgaria links US visa treatment to TTIP

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Bulgaria links US visa treatment to TTIP

The Bulgarian minister of economy has stated that during the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks the United States should lift the visa requirements on the country’s nationals, Dnevnik, the EurActiv partner in Bulgaria wrote yesterday (26 November).

Minister Bozhidar Lukarski was quoted as saying that the visa problem Bulgaria has with the USA is part of the national position regarding the TTIP talks.

Citizens of some new EU member states including Bulgaria, Romania and Poland still need a visa to travel to countries such as the United States, Canada or Australia.

Lukarski said his country wanted the visa issue to be discussed during the TTIP talks, but added that this was not a Bulgarian pre-condition.

“I hope we will receive serious support from EU member states, as well as understanding on behalf of our American partners”, he said.

The US is generally supportive of lifting the visa requirement for its EU allies, but says its internal regulations require that the respective nationals who have been admitted on its territory don’t overstay, which appears to be the case with Bulgarian, Romanian and Polish nationals.

The Commission wants “third countries” to apply a uniform visa policy vis-à-vis the 28 member states.